I am a Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Osnabrück, Germany. My current research focusses on political attitudes and behavior in the context of conflict and autocratic rule. I have a particular interest in historical episodes of contention. Results of my research have appeared in the American Political Science Review, World Politics, and the British Journal of Political Science, among others. My previous work has been generously supported by grants from the German Research Foundation, the German Development Bank, the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Gerda Henkel Foundation and the German Foundation for Peace Research. In addition to academic research I regularly work as a consultant for development cooperation in fragile and conflict-affected states.